Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Seal of the United States Department of State
Bureau overview
Formed	August 24, 1992; 31 years ago (August 24, 1992)[1]
Preceding bureau	Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs
Jurisdiction	Executive branch of the United States
Headquarters	Harry S. Truman Building, Washington, D.C., United States
Employees	2,125 (as of FY 2016)[2]
Annual budget	$1.52 billion (FY 2016)[2]
Bureau executive	Barbara A. Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Parent department	U.S. Department of State
Website	Official website

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), also known as the Bureau of Near East Asian Affairs,^[3] is an agency of the Department of State within the United States government that deals with U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic relations with the nations of the Near East. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, who reports to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

Organization

The offices of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs direct, coordinate, and supervise U.S. government activities within the region, including political, economic, consular, public diplomacy, and administrative management issues.^[3][4]

• Office of Levant Affairs – Responsible for U.S. relations with Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria
• Office of North African Affairs – Responsible for U.S. relations with Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia
• Office of Arabian Peninsula Affairs – Responsible for shaping, coordinating and implementing foreign policy in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
• Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs – Responsible for diplomatic issues associated with the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• Office of Iraqi Affairs – Oversees Iraq–United States relations
• Office of Iranian Affairs – Develops, coordinates, recommends, and executes U.S. policy on Iran
• Office of Regional and Multilateral Affairs – Responsible for regional political and economic issues, including political-military affairs, multilateral organizations, labor and social affairs, counternarcotics, environment, refugees, counterterrorism, and human rights^[3]
• Office of Press and Public Diplomacy – Responsible for the coordination of public diplomacy activities in the NEA region, and preparing press guidance for the Department Spokesperson in the Bureau of Public Affairs
• Office of Middle East Partnership Initiative – Responsible for programming in support of reform throughout the region, with special emphasis on empowering women and youth, education, strengthening economies, and broadening political participation

Organization

The bureau is currently led by Joey Hood, a career diplomat serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary. From June 5, 2019, to January 20, 2021, the bureau was led by Assistant Secretary David Schenker. He was preceded by David Satterfield (acting). See Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs for the list of all incumbents.

References